10 Most Common Mistakes Of Website Owners

Here you will find the list of the top 10 mistakes that new website owners usually make and some tips on how to quickly fix them.

1. “My website looks fantastic, so it is going to rank high in google.”

Not really.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how great your website looks or how much money you have spent on it if your website is not correctly structured it will never rank well in Google.

Having a good website that looks professional is an important trust factor, but doesn’t count for much if it cannot be found easily in search engines, like Google.

There are great web design companies out there, but not all of them are specialised in search engine optimisation. When your website is ready, be sure that an SEO specialist performs an SEO Audit or Review and explains to you what needs to be fixed if it has any chance of getting page 1 Google rankings. Remember page 1 rankings equal traffic and traffic equals customers/clients!

2. Not checking website speed

No one likes a slow website. Neither does Google.

It happens quite often that website owners or designers put all the effort into making a website look perfect, with videos, images, additionally bloated plugins etc., but they forget to check the speed once the project is completed.

The speed of your website is one of the main factors that directly affect your Google ranking. Make sure you check your site by using a free tool such as gtmetrix.com and then ask your SEO specialist to implement the suggested changes.

3. Forgetting about images

High-quality pictures make your website look professional and keep users engaged on the page. However, if an image is not properly resized, it can drastically slow down the loading of that page, ruining not only the users’ experience but also your ranking. Not only that but web designers and owners also forgot to optimise images for Google Image search which can also drive lots of free traffic to your website.

4. Hidden contact details

Hidden or non-existent contact information happens more often than we care to admit! How many of your local services and business do not put their contact details in easy to find places on their website? Imagine if you needed a plumber urgently, and you search the first website but cannot locate the number on the homepage. Of course, you are going to hit the back button and try the next plumber listed on Google page 1. Be sure to add your phone number and email address where users can see it without them having to click through three pages and then scroll to the bottom of a page. Otherwise, they will leave the website discouraged, and you have missed out on a client or customer!

5. Meta titles and descriptions. Say what?

Meta titles and descriptions are usually a hot topic. People tend to forget that they do exist and they are there for a reason. If meta titles and descriptions are missing, search engines will struggle to understand what is the topic of the page, therefore cannot rank you! Not only that but if by chance you do rank on page 1 (highly unlikely), users will not click on your result as the meta title and description will not be clear. Your competitor with the better-optimised page will get the customer!

6. Forgetting about the existence of mobile devices

It is no secret that searches on mobile devices are increasing year after year. A website that looks great on a desktop computer but not optimised for mobile devices will not be able to rank as high as mobile friendly ones. Always check how your website looks on a smartphone or tablet and if it doesn’t resize or looks funky, then you have a problem that needs resolving.

Forgetting about the existence of mobile devices

7. Installing an SEO plugin thinking that it will magically take care of the On Page SEO

SEO plugins are not SEO fairies. The simple fact that you have installed one does not mean all your on page SEO issues are fixed. You need to know how to use the SEO plugin correctly, especially if you want to make some advanced moves (such as knowing which pages should be no indexed or what to exclude in your sitemap, so Google does not waste valuable crawl budget on your non-essential pages).  In case you are not sure what to do, remember that there are SEO specialists that can help and guide you.

8. Forgetting to inform Google that the website actually exists

You have got your fantastic brand new website live after weeks (possibly months) of back and forth with your web designer. You have content, contact details, perfect on page SEO structure in place, but you are not done yet. If you don’t tell Google that your website is there, unfortunately, no one will find you in the most popular search engine. Remember to do so by registering your website with Google Seach Console (previously known as Google webmaster tools) and submit a sitemap too once there!

9. Flash player makes it cool

No, it does not!

In 2010, flash basically became a thing of the past when Apple announced it was not supporting flash media on their newly released iPad. Flash was designed for use on computers with a mouse and keyboard back when websites were made out of plain old html and css and very basic in interactivity.

However, considering that more than 60% of internet usage is now on mobile (and that figure continues to grow), flash is now redundant. Not only is it incompatible with a lot of devices, even when it is, you are also unable to scroll with touchpads. There are lots of amazing new ways to add videos or dynamic galleries on your website, without worsening its performance. It surprises us how many websites we see today still using flash!

10. Why do I need to take care of my website if I have 20k likes on FaceBook?

You own your website. Facebook owns your Facebook page. Simple as that.

Social media presence is a complementary factor, that together with your website can increase your overall website’s ranking in search engines. Focusing solely on a Facebook page though, will not help you being easily found in the search engines.

If you would like a free SEO review of your website contact us today!





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